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I'M IN HERE!

If you think I have disappeared, you can find me in here... in the dining room. Bobby and I have been painting the wainscoting, windows and the walls!

What a big job!

We painted the wainscoting and windows the right color... Atrium White

and the walls the wrong color.

I't is really a beautiful color... Benjamin Moore Natural Wicker... but it looks nothing like the sample pint we painted on the walls here and there! It has too much yellow.

I'm now trying a few other colors...

Sometimes it feels like I am splitting hairs, but each color picks up the "pinks" in the atrium white, the "warmth" of the hardwood floors and the light differently.

I got a very very good tip from a designer at our local Benjamin Moore. I had gotten 4 pint paint samples to brush on in several locations around our dining room and living room and found them VERY DIFFERENT than the small card samples... I'm not talking somewhat different... I'm talking VERY DIFFERENT!

Our local designer suggested that I take the big page samples and place them around the room.They would be a truer color, as pints of paint can sometimes be quite off color. Who knew?

I tested her theory by getting a sample of natural wicker, the color we had just painted on the wall.

Eureka! She was right! A perfect match!

I think I have narrowed my search down. If I want a very light wall I think I'll go with seapearl. And if I want a little contrast I'll go with sonnet.

I was thinking I just might paint the living room and dining room with seapearl and paint the foyer that adjoins them in sonnet. Just thinking!

So for now I am painting. Hopefully by tomorrow we will have the dining room painted and I can move on to painting and covering the chairs.

So exciting! Putting a fresh coat of paint on a room is such a invigorating start to changing a room. Your swan! Being a newbie blogger I may have missed it's story. Would you please share the swan's story sitting on your table? I love it. melinda

I love the sonnet. That was my pick right away. The same thing happened in the old house: the paint we chose showed PINK in the dining room and I HATED it. Lived with it almost a year and then HAD to repaint. Your room is going to be beautiful. Is the bolt of fabric for the chairs? XO

a few years ago i had our dining room painted in two shades of off white/creams...above the chair rail is a custom mix (not sure of the color) and below is antique white. we added pre-made picture frames below the chair rail which look like moulding....it is so soothing and i've never tired of it. my dining room is a contrast of darks and cremes with a custom cut seagrass rug.

The woes of paint colors...Been there. Good for you for sticking to your guns and finding the right color. I know it's hard work but it will pay off 2 months from now. Can't wait to see it finished, good luck!

I love it already, Yvonne! Both paint colors you've narrowed it down too are beautiful ... go with your gut, and it will be stunning, as always! Can't wait to see more, but don't work too hard this weekend!

We've been repainting around the house also and each time we would start to paint, Scott would ask me..."Are you sure this is the right color?" and I had done the same thing, bought the sample and tried it on a small artist canvas...and then I had to have Scott repaint the canvas to make sure the swatch I was carrying around to match fabrics too was the color that was actually on the walls! I am really happy with the changes we have made and yours are going to be beautiful! Have a great weekend.

Girl friend, I know EXACTLY what your going through. When we moved in, we knew that we would be repainting (meaning me), so I got so many 'tester' paints from Sherwin Williams that I started to think that they thought we were going to paint the entire house in samples! Everything changes with the sun light, the evening light, candle light, so it's so important to 'try on' all the tester paints in each and every room to see how the react and get along with the other elements in the room. I know that by taking your time, you will find the right shade, even if it is splitting hairs to find it.Good luck to both you and Bobby in your efforts... at least he helps paint, mine travels all the time and just says "spend what you need too, see you when I get back"

The sonnet looks pink on my screen and it appears (on my screen) that you have yellows in your carpet and yellows in your bolt of fabric, I would ask at the Benjamin Moore store what are the undertones of each of these paints and go with the one that has the most mix of yellow or at least stay away from the paint with red/pink undertones.

Does the Sea Pearl have some gray in it? If not, look for white that has grays and yellow undertones. Your Benjamin Moore staff can help you.

I have such a hard time with paint color too and it DOES look differnt on different walls. I agree Yvonne, too yellow and I'm with everyone else I like the sonnet color.....can't wait to see it all finished! :-) sharon geers

I love the sonnet. We painted our entire social area, living room, den and dining room a year ago and I still love it...paint makes such a difference!! Your dining room is gorgeous anyway and I adore that big swan in your dining table. Have a great weekend dear Ivonne, anjoy the change honey.FABBY

I go to the local Hobby Lobby and buy a stack of poster boards. I paint the entire board with TWO COATS. Then I can tape up the boards on the wall and watch them at different times of the day. The correct choice will jump out at you. The TWO COATS makes a big difference! Cherry Kay

Eat your heart out posters... I am married to a great painter and he completely understands color. Am I lucky or what?? He has painted the dining room in our old house 5 times one year to get it right for me. Sigh.... I am so blessed! Thanks for letting me brag! :-)

I love the natural wicker on my computer screen, especiallt if that fabric is for your chairs. It looks to have a yellowish/wicker color to it. My humble opinion. Anyway you choose is a winner. Pretty room.

Looks like the Dining Room is coming right along! I like the sonnet, gives a nice contrast to that beautiful trim and windows, but I am sure whatever you choose will look stunning, as always. Can't wait to see the room all finished. Have a great weekend!!

Hello Yvonne,You have SUCH a beautiful home! Your dining room will be beautiful whatever color you decide as all colors look different in various lights as you have discovered. But please don't PAINT those beautiful Chippendale chairs that are so lovely with your table with the inlay border and the beautiful sideboard. It will just ruin them! Painted chairs are very faddish and trendy, so in today and out tomorrow, whereas what you have is CLASSIC! If you are a bit tired of them, why not make slipcovers over the top rails and down over the seats with a little box pleated skirts and some contrast piping that picks up your accent color and blends with your host/hostess chairs that are fabric and already have painted legs? And/or add "ballet" ties from the seats down onto the dark legs (very sexy)? That way...you can have a summer and winter look and have not permanently changed your side chairs...just giving my opinion here 'cause it's going to get to "country" looking if you paint them, whereas all your other things have a nice level of sophistication and formality as they are...just beautiful already! This designer's opinion...what you already have is beautiful! mmballard@att.net

If I paint once, I paint twice, I never get it right. The last time we did our dining room it was the 4th color on the walls that stayed and I don't remember now if we got it right or got tired of painting. I suck totally at picking paint, and today is the day I go to the paint store. The agony.

Love what you are doing with your room! I am in the process of re-doing my dining room too. I just found your chandy at overstock-love it! What size is your dining room? I am worried that the chandy will be too small over my table, but it looks great in your room. How about those custom chairs? Did you buy those some where and take them to be recovered? i would love to have 2 of those for my room!! Nancy

Love the light and airy new look so current now, fresh and crisp...I think your gonna love the neutral pallet that you can bring color in and out of for what ever occasion or event...so creative...thanks for sharing, come over and see the Valentine Tree...It reminds me of something you would like,...

great tip, yvonne. fyi i am not happy with dove wing on trim in some places in our house where the painter mixed this hue up with white dove. it has a dingy, yellowy tone at certain times of the day whereas the white dove stays true.

Hi, Yvonne! Isn't it amazing about paint? We stew and stew over colors, make the right choice -- finally!-- and then the mixed paint ends up different from: a) the fan or chip sample, b) the painted test sample on our walls, and c) the final mix from the paint store! Discouraging. But you are making progress, and your dining room is gorgeous!

I have a question of a different nature: Did you ever do a tutorial on glazing? I was reading your "Best Painting Tip Ever, Really!" and you mentioned how easy glazing is, but I couldn't find the tutorial for it. Can you help me out? Thank you in advance!

Hi, Yvonne, Love your dining room! I, too, like the Sonnet color for more contrast with the white. Please don't paint your gorgeous Chippendale chairs, though. They are a treasure and go so well with the table. I think your new upholstered chairs add enough of the light look you are looking for. Love the whole set with that rug! And your swan, too!

I finally found the "perfect" light tan/grey color for our new house but because they are all open to each other and I didn't want the same color throughout, I had our paint guy take the main color which I used in the dinning, kitchen and living room and darken it by 50% for the family room that is large (helped to make it feel less open). I also had him lighten it by 50% for a few other rooms in the house. This is great if you find the perfect color. Love all you do!!!! Chrissy Jones

I, personally, like the Sonnet and think you could even go one shade darker on the same "palet" as Sonnet. I think that would be very rich looking. You could even pain the foyer one shade darker than the living room (or visa-versa, dependingong on what the foyer touched onto, so-to-speak). We're selecting paint colors for our new home now and it is certainly eye-wakening. I'm sure whatever you select will be gorgeous!